The 24-year-old showed tremendous levels of patience and composure to claim his fourth Asian Tour title by winning the Macau Open on Sunday.
Golfers often tell you how their sport is all about patience, or hanging on when the going gets tough. Gaganjeet Bhullar had a rough last year and despite some terrific performances in the recent months, success eluded him. However, the 24-year-old showed tremendous levels of patience and composure to claim his fourth Asian Tour title by winning the Macau Open on Sunday.
Bhullar, whose friend India’s leading amateur Ashbeer Saini is his caddie as well, ended with a birdie to finish at 16-under 268, two shots clear of American Jonathan Moore, who staged a comeback of sorts by recording five birdies in the last five holes. Making it sweeter for India was Shiv Kapur, who carded a four-under 67 to total 10-under and finish sole fifth.
Bhullar has been in impressive form throughout the year, managing eight top 10 finishes in 17 tournaments this year. “This one is going to take a long time to sink in,” said Bhullar, who pocketed $118,875. “I was in the perfect zone. More than that, it was the self-belief.”
What made the victory even more special was that he was in the lead from start to end, a very rare feat. “This is my first wire-to-wire Asian Tour title. I had to prove to myself that I’m a good front runner. I had to believe in myself. I did it and it was really special. It’s weird because I started the tournament with a bogey. But I kept my head down, hit the ball really well. Mentally, I was focused. I knew I would win it easily,” said the 158th-ranked Bhullar.
Bhullar, who played along side world No 1 Rory McIlroy at the junior level, still has a long way to go. However, he knows he is heading in the right direction. “I started my playing career along with Rory, who is the world No 1 right now. If you look at that, I’m really slow. But there’s a lot of golf left. Over the next few years, I am hoping to take my game to the next level,” he said.
The fourth title on Asian Tour puts Bhullar next only to the three veterans of Indian golf: Jyoti Randhawa (8), Arjun Atwal (7) and Jeev Milkha Singh (6). Bhullar is now targeting the top spot in the Asian Order of Merit but has also set his eyes on his idol Jeev Milkha Singh’s achievements. “There are a couple of important weeks ahead, including the Indian Open this week. I hope it’ll help me in my rankings,” he said.
Results:
268: Gaganjeet Bhullar
(IND/63-68-69-68)
270: Jonathan Moore
(USA/67-68-70-65)
272: Siddikur
(BAN/66-68-72-66), Thitiphun Chuayprakong (THA/67-66-69-70)
274: Shiv Kapur
(IND/70-67-70-67)
275: Angelo Que
(PHI/68-66-70-71),
Scott Hend (AUS/65-70-69-71)
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